Rumours of the cancellation of the ditch salom due to rain were incorrect. There was a bit of damp around this morning but the drain dried perfectly for a full day of racing.
Format was 6 runs for each competitor. No cones down. Best time wins.
Round One of the 2009 Conehead Cup featured one of the worlds best Pro racers from Switzerland Ramón “The Fox” Königshausen. Ramón races for Airflow Skateboards was the 2006 Tight Slalom World Champion and finished 3rd overall in the Pro division of the 2008 World Championships in Sweden. Can Ramón stop Jackson on his home territory?
For anyone that does not know about Kincumber ditch, it is a storm water drain in the hills behind Kincumber on NSW Central Coast. About an hour north of Sydney, this area is blest with beautiful beaches and one of Australia’s most fun drains. Locals skaters maintain the ditch during the year, for their skating pleasure, and put on a ditch slalom once a year for everyone to enjoy. This year, the start ramps were 5 foot tall to launch skaters at speed into the drain. Below is a photo from the 2007 race, it will give you an idea of how beautiful a drain can be, set on a hill in a National Park.
After practice, the first timed run Ramón threw down a time that just amazed everyone. Racing on a small slalom board with Gog trucks, he pumped between all the ditch transitions to increase speed and set a blistering pace. Jackson Shapiera not to be intimitated stayed with the race leader posting a time 1/10 slower. For the next four rounds, the lead did not change, as everyone put in solid times and worked out how to get fast in the ditch. Ramon and Jackson were the stand out racers, posting times a half a second faster than the next two fastest racers B-Rad and Blackwood.
In the 5th round Jackson managed to beat Ramón’s best time and grabbed the lead. Not to be out done, in the sixth round Ramón posted his fastest time and gained back the lead. However in one of the last runs of the day, Jackson, on his Rayne Hustler, pulled out something special and posted a time that would win the day.
Jackson first. Ramon second. B-rad third, Blackwood fourth.
Fourth and Ninth place was separated by only 0.4 of a second.
Full results and official ASRA report see the ASRA website.
